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Are petitions any useful? Did they ever have any significant impact? I understand it can help to put some visibility on a problem that is not widely known, but

Are petitions any useful? Did they ever have any significant impact? I understand it can help to put some visibility on a problem that is not widely known, but in my mind I still see these websites and Facebook groups of people signing petitions left and right with nothing concrete behind them. EDIT: I didn't notice at first there was a rally, so I guess this is more than just a petition, but still I'm interested in other people opinion about petitions

squarefoot 7y ago
"Are petitions any useful? Did they ever have any significant impact?" They can be effective, depending on the balance between interests and the risk of PR backlash when the involved parties ignore them. Any decision is usually taken after careful planning of worst case scenarios like millions of people refusing to buy X product/brand for example or marching with signs against that product/brand, including of course viral campaigns or the big media covering the issue which is the worst they can think of. It's all about the money: if a petition whether directly or not results in a lot less money for the subject the petition was created against, then it has been effective. In this case however I think the message should be a lot more clear. By reading the headlines it seems someone is attempting to buy some "dot.com" site or a fictional "(space).com" domain, which sends a completely wrong message. This is likely the case where a more effective tabloid-like headline would work better.
- tsukurimashou 7y ago
  Thanks for your detailed opinion on the subject, I agree with what you're saying, I'm currently watching the documentary "Marking a Murderer" which is on Netflix and I have to say, you can really see the shift of the story when internet began to become more and more available and popular. I might have underestimated petitions, but seeing so many of them when internet was getting kind of popular probably gave me the wrong idea, things changes so quickly these days!

squarefoot 7y ago

"Are petitions any useful? Did they ever have any significant impact?" They can be effective, depending on the balance between interests and the risk of PR backlash when the involved parties ignore them. Any decision is usually taken after careful planning of worst case scenarios like millions of people refusing to buy X product/brand for example or marching with signs against that product/brand, including of course viral campaigns or the big media covering the issue which is the worst they can think of. It's all about the money: if a petition whether directly or not results in a lot less money for the subject the petition was created against, then it has been effective. In this case however I think the message should be a lot more clear. By reading the headlines it seems someone is attempting to buy some "dot.com" site or a fictional "(space).com" domain, which sends a completely wrong message. This is likely the case where a more effective tabloid-like headline would work better.

tsukurimashou 7y ago
Thanks for your detailed opinion on the subject, I agree with what you're saying, I'm currently watching the documentary "Marking a Murderer" which is on Netflix and I have to say, you can really see the shift of the story when internet began to become more and more available and popular. I might have underestimated petitions, but seeing so many of them when internet was getting kind of popular probably gave me the wrong idea, things changes so quickly these days!